USS Gearing

USS Gearing

USS Sumner

USS Porter

USS Gearing

USS Sumner

USS Porter

USA

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.7	4.7

Class:

Destroyer

Research:11 000

Purchase:22 000

Show in game

Description

The Gearing-class, USS Gearing (DD-710), 1945 is one of 98 Gearing-class destroyers built for the US Navy near the end of WW2. Laid down in mid 1944, she wouldn't be commissioned until the 3rd of May 1945; meaning she saw only roughly 3 months before the end of hostilities with the Japanese empire. She would go on to serve for nearly 3 decades more, mostly with the Atlantic fleet, notably taking part in the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis, before finally being decommissioned in 1973.

Introduced in Update "Danger Zone", USS Gearing is one of the best destroyers in War Thunder. With 3x dual mount turrets, she has greater main battery firepower than the Fletcher class, though with one less dual mount than the Porter class. In exchange, she gains extra anti-fragmentation armour and, as she is in her 1945 refit, one of the greatest anti-aircraft batteries on any destroyer. This comes with the loss of one torpedo launcher compared to the USS Frank Knox, another ship of her class.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Main fire tower3 / 3 / 3 mm

Hull16 mm (steel)

Superstructure4 mm (steel)

Number of section7

Displacement3 460 t

Crew336 people

USS Gearing, as a late war US destroyer, has very good armour in comparison to destroyers from other nations. This takes the shape of a main armour belt consisting of 0.75 inches of anti-fragmentation armour. While being unable to stop any fire from other destroyer or cruiser guns such as the commonly found 5-6 inch, it will still drastically reduce the damage done to the internals of the ship from high-explosive shells. This greatly increases the survivability of the ship, especially against Japanese ships such as the IJN Shimakaze which have no access to any form of SAP or AP. The top of the machinery spaces are covered by a layer of 0.5-inch armour as well, protecting against shrapnel from shells landing higher in the ship. This, in combination with the respectable crew of 336 members, gives her good survivability, some of the best of the USN destroyers, surpassed only by the USS Sumner and Mitscher-class destroyers.

The dual mounts, similar to other US destroyers, were designed as dual-purpose, and were therefore unable to be protected by thick armour as this would slow turret traverse. This means the turrets are only lightly covered by 0.125-inch anti-fragmentation armour. Any direct hit from anything larger than a 20 mm will almost definitely knock out the turret, although at least near misses will leave the turret unharmed or with only slight damage.

However, the USS Gearing still has one of the issues left over from earlier US destroyers: the rear magazine being elevated near the waterline. This was a necessity to allow room for the propeller shafts in the stern of the ship, but still can have rather explosive consequences. The issue has been alleviated somewhat compared to the earlier Porter-class which are infamous for how easily they are destroyed via this area, but captains should still be wary and avoid fire to the aft of the ship whenever possible.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB78 / 31 km/h

RB64 / 25 km/h

The mobility of the USS Gearing is typical of most American destroyers, meaning that it accelerates quickly, turns surprisingly well, and can switch to reverse in a short amount of time. The overall top speed is competitive at its BR, but will still be beaten by the likes of the Z25 or Soviet destroyers such as the Leningrad.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	57	23	~116.9	~206.72
	Upgraded	78	31	___	___
RB/SB	Stock	___	___	___	___
	Upgraded	64	25	___	___

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB1 539 → 2 000

RB2 441 → 3 173

Total cost of modifications10 420

13 840

Talisman cost750

Crew training6 300

Experts22 000

Aces250

Research Aces220 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 330 / 100 %

124 / 124 / 124 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 420 Cost: 560 105 Rudder Replacement Research: 390 Cost: 520 100 Propeller Replacement Research: 430 Cost: 570 110 Engine Maintenance Research: 680 Cost: 900 175	Damage Control Division Research: 420 Cost: 560 105 Fire Division Research: 390 Cost: 520 100 Smokescreen Research: 390 Cost: 520 100 Shrapnel Protection Research: 430 Cost: 570 110 Ventilation Research: 430 Cost: 570 110 New Pumps Research: 680 Cost: 900 175 Ammo Wetting Research: 680 Cost: 900 175	127mm_usa_mk32_common_sap_ammo_pack Research: 420 Cost: 560 105 40 mm HE clips Research: 420 Cost: 560 105 Anti-Air Armament Targeting Research: 420 Cost: 560 105 127mm_usa_mk46_special_common_sap_ammo_pack Research: 390 Cost: 520 100 40 mm AP clips Research: 390 Cost: 520 100 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 390 Cost: 520 100 127mm_usa_mk31_aavt_radio_fuse_ammo_pack Research: 430 Cost: 570 110 Improved Rangefinder Research: 430 Cost: 570 110 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 430 Cost: 570 110 Bomb mortar Research: 680 Cost: 900 175 Torpedo Mode Research: 680 Cost: 900 175

Armament

Primary armament

3 х Turret2 x 5 inch/38 Mk.12 cannon, mount Mk.38

Ammunition720 rounds

Vertical guidance-15° / 85°

The 5-inch guns of the USS Gearing are the same as on other American destroyers, with their fast fire rate and access to both SAP shells and proximity-fused shells. Unlike the destroyers USS Somers or USS Porter, the USS Gearing only has 3 twin turrets instead of 4, thus resulting in 25% less main calibre firepower.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		1,000 m	2,500 m	5,000 m	7,500 m	10,000 m	15,000 m
AAC Mk.34	HE	36	36	36	36	36	36
Common Mk.32	Common	124	103	77	58	46	37
SP Common Mk.46	SP Common	150	125	93	71	56	45
AAVT Mk.31	HE-VT	36	36	36	36	36	36

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
AAC Mk.34	HE	792	25	0	0.1	3,220	79°	80°	81°
Common Mk.32	Common	792	24.49	0.01	6	1,150	47°	60°	65°
SP Common Mk.46	SP Common	792	25	0.01	6	906.5	48°	63°	71°

Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Arming distance (m)	Trigger radius (m)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
									0%	50%	100%
AAVT Mk.31	HE-VT	792	25	0	0.1	457	23	3,220	79°	80°	81°

Secondary armament

2 х Turret2 x 40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 1 gun

Ammunition4000 rounds

Belt capacity4 rounds

Fire rate156 shots/min

3 х Turret4 x 40 mm Bofors L/60 Mark 2 gun

Ammunition8000 rounds

Belt capacity4 rounds

Fire rate156 shots/min

The USS Gearing has a very strong secondary armament, with a total of 16 x 40 mm Bofors cannons that can completely shred any aircraft at medium range and obliterate any small boat that would come too close. These cannons can also make quick work of exposed modules on destroyers at close range. Compared to other Gearing-class destroyers, USS Gearing is in her 1945 fit. As enemy air attack was more of a threat, one of the quintuple torpedo launchers was replaced with a quadruple 40 mm Bofors mount, giving her a much more substantial medium anti-aircraft battery, the most of any other American bluewater destroyer.

• Universal: AP-T · HEFI-T
• 40 mm HE clips: HEFI-T · HEFI-T · HEFI-T · AP-T
• 40 mm AP clips: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEFI-T

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEFI-T	3	3	3	3	3	3
AP-T	81	78	68	58	49	41

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEFI-T	874	0.9	0	0.1	67.13	79°	80°	81°
AP-T	874	0.89	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°

Anti-aircraft armament

11 х Turret20 mm/70 Oerlikon Mk.II autocannon

Ammunition1800 rounds

Belt capacity60 rounds

Fire rate450 shots/min

The short range AA of the USS Gearing is made up of no less than 11 x 20 mm Oerlikon autocannons. These can quickly handle most close range threats, but their range is limited, so if they start firing then look out for closing threats.

Additional armament

Setup 15 x 533 mm steam turbined Mk.15 torpedo

Setup 224 x Mk.6 mortar depth charge

Setup 35 x 533 mm steam turbined Mk.15 torpedo

6 x Mk.6 mortar depth charge

The USS Gearing is capable of carrying both 10 x 533 mm Mk.15 Torpedoes and 24 x Mk.6 depth charges. The torpedoes are effective at close range with a powerful warhead consisting of 224 kg of TNT, however their limited range of 5.50 km (9.15 km with Torpedo Mode) can limit their utility on larger maps prevalent at higher BRs.

The depth charges are dropped from the back of the ship and as such are only useful in the event of an opponent being directly behind the ship. This is a very rare event even at low BRs so carrying these exposed drums of TNT is not recommended.

Usage in battles

The USS Gearing can be played aggressively as the fast firing 5-inch guns and powerful 40 mm cannons can shred most opponents with ease and the large crew count allows for punishment to be taken in return. It is recommended to release torpedoes early in the match to prevent them from being detonated later in the match.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very powerful close and medium AA armament
• Large crew complement for a destroyer for longer survivability
• Fast firing 5-inch guns
• Good antifragmentation armour

Cons:

• Torpedoes have a relatively short range even with torpedo mode activated
• Only 6 main guns, compared to most American destroyers with 8
• Can be easily destroyed by an ammo rack detonation caused by SAP and APHE shots

History

Design and Construction

Design work of the Gearing class started with the preceding Sumner class, which were themselves a modified Fletcher incorporating the new twin high angle twin mounts for the 5"/38 calbre guns. The Gearing design mainly evolves from the Sumner by increasing the length of the hull by 4.3 metres, allowing greater fuel storage and therefore increased range. The higher beam to length ratio also increased the top speed, most of the ships in the class achieving 36 knots. USS Gearing herself was commissioned on May 3rd 1945.

FRAM I Upgrades

During the 1960s, USS Gearing received the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) 1 upgrades. This converted the Gearing from a primarily anti-aircraft destroyer into a dedicated anti-submarine warfare destroyer. Modifications include the new advanced sonar, the ASROC anti-submarine torpedo launcher (also capable of launching nuclear depth charges), the Mk.44 torpedo and the DASH anti-submarine helicopter which had a range of 35 km as well as the hangar and facilities needed to maintain it.

Service History

USS Gearing was commissioned a few months before the end of WW2 and trained crews for other destroyers until early October 1945. Her immediate postwar career was spent in peacetime operations on the Atlantic side of the Americas before sailing into the Mediterranean in 1947 until 1948. Gearing would then operate around the Caribbean before taking part in Operation Frostbite, sailing into the Arctic to test and develop cold water techniques and equipment before returning to operate in the Caribbean and Mediterranean until 1961 when she took part in the negotiations for the Santa Maria hijacking. In the following year, Gearing would take part in the blockade of Cuba before moving on to operate in the Atlantic when diplomatic negotiation ended the crisis. After receiving the FRAM I upgrades she would continue her normal operations.

USS Gearing would be decommissioned in 1973 and then sold for scrap the following year.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the USS Gearing from live.warthunder.com.

Photos

• 

  USS Gearing (DD-710) underway in 1964.

• 

  The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Gearing (DD-710) in heavy seas in the Atlantic.

Videos

USS Gearing - Guide 157 - Drachinifel

See also

Related development

• USS Frank Knox

Other ships of similar configuration and role

• USS Sumner
• Z43
• HMAS Tobruk
• IJN Akizuki

External links

• [usnfleet.us] Gearing-class Destroyers
• [Naval History and Heritage Command] Gearing (DD-710)

Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Gun Destroyers (DD)
Somers-class	USS Somers
Fletcher-class	USS Fletcher
Allen M. Sumner-class	USS Sumner
Gearing-class	USS Gearing
Cruiser, Light (CL)
Atlanta-class	USS Atlanta